Convert mpeg2 to what for iMovie HD?

I have a home built DVR that creates MPEG-2 files. Currently, I'm using MPEG Streamclip to cut out the commercials and convert to DV. Next, I use iMovie HD to put the clips in order and set chapters for iDVD to author and burn.
For a 2 hour TV movie, this can take a couple of hours for all the conversions and formatting. Is there another format that I can use to speed this up? The funny thing is, the MPEG-2's that I started with can be used directly to create a DVD if I don't want menus (it plays when I put the DVD in).

I don't see how you can avoid doing what you're doing. MPEG-2 is not an editing format. If you want to use iMovie 6, you need to convert your MPEG-2 into DV for iMovie to work with it. Ironically, you are then going to convert it back to MPEG-2 when iDVD burns a DVD disk.
Ideally, you want to import directly into iMovie 6 in a DV format without the necessity of converting. Or, as you said, go directly from MPEG-2 to DVD.
I am not a tech expert like some contributors to this forum. There are all kinds of software and conversion techniques out there. I don't have iMovie 08 on my computer, but it might be able to provide options other than DV. Perhaps one of the gurus here will have some helpful suggestions.

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